


The Distance

by LunaJade



Series: "The Fist of Blue Sapphire" One-Shots [2]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Drama, F/M, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid Needs a Hug, Loneliness, Mainly Kaito x Aoko, Meitantei Conan Movie 23: Konjou no Fisuto | The Fist of Blue Sapphire, Possible Kaito x Ran, Romance, Sad Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-30 02:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18306344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaJade/pseuds/LunaJade
Summary: “So why? Is it really just because you don’t like seeing people die or get hurt at your heists?”“It’s because…you remind me of her…”“…Her…?”“The one…I love.”Then there was only quiet.~~Ran has only ever seen the lively, entertainer part of Kid the Phantom Thief. But now, after the events of Singapore, she has questions for him. In a way, she sees something in him that she also sees in herself: Heartache. Loneliness.But for who?(A Kaito x Aoko fic, though the conversation revolves entirely between Kaito and Ran [so maybe some Kaito x Ran feels...?])(A Fan-Made Scene for Movie 23: The Fist of Blue Sapphire [post movie])





	The Distance

**Author's Note:**

> This is supposed to be entirely a Kaito x Aoko story, though the conversation is entirely between Kaito and Ran. (So there's possibly some Kaito x Ran feels...?)  
> Also, a certain part of this was inspired by the tagline for the movie ("Never let you go...").

“Wait…” Ran stepped closer, lifted her head to stare at him. Her gaze did not falter as she stared upon the phantom’s figure, perched precariously upon the window sill. A slender breeze whipped his cape ever so slightly through the open air and gently tousled his dark locks. His face was tired, exhausted from the day. She saw the injuries he’d received from both a few nights prior and from tonight’s events had not been tended to. His face was scraped and slightly bleeding, his jacket ripped in places, old dried blood fixed on its surface on one of his arms, the dark bruises on his face illuminated in the beams of the moon. Through the window she could people gathering at the front of the hotel, waiting for the light water show to begin. She’d told her friends to go on without her—there was something she had to do, something that had been on her mind for a while now, and then she’d seen Kid swiftly turn the corner.

                And before she could stop herself, she’d followed him to where he was now.

“Can I help you, miss?” Even his voice sounded strained. Ran had always known him to have an infectious liveliness about him, never showing any signs of stress. Though she had never cheered him on during his heists, he’d always managed to shock her with his seemingly impossible tricks. She wondered if there was something on his mind, something that was bothering him and made him be this quiet. In fact, he looked almost…lonely. She wondered if it had something to do with what had happened during the case. She wondered, if, because he was the phantom thief, because he had to protect his identity, if he had anyone to confide in?

But she had a question of her own. She suspected that if she had not come when she did, he would’ve already flown away, dissolved into the shadows of the night. She wondered if that would’ve been the case, or if he would’ve been lying here or somewhere else, passed out from his injuries, like how they’d found him days ago after he’d been gravely injured following the first murder, unconscious, tears staining his cheeks.

“Something seems to be on your mind. What troubles you on this lovely evening?”

“I…have a question for you.”

“Is that so? I’m afraid I’m not going to tell you my identity, if that’s what you were wondering.”

“As tempting it would be to ask that, no. I…”

Kid raised his eyebrows but did not speak. His breathing was slow, labored. Ran almost felt bad for wanting to ask him her question. Now that he stood in front of her, injured, alone, Ran almost felt like she wanted to _help_ him. If he couldn’t tell other people in his life what was bothering him…well, she’d always been one to want to help people. If someone was in danger, she’d rush to help them. If someone was upset and needed comfort, she would gladly give them her shoulder to cry on.

And even if he was a thief, Kid was human too.

Though she’d heard Conan say that _though he’s a thief, he’s still human and can still be caught_ , she wanted to look past that. Whether he was a thief or not, he was human, just like her, her dad, her friends—he had feelings, just like everyone else did.

And the look on his face…it was one of familiarity. She realized now that it wasn’t just loneliness. It was heartache, melancholy, longing.

And that was why she knew it. Because for months and months, that was the look she’d seen on herself in the mirror.

Her longing for Shinichi.

“What I wanted to ask is…”

_His eyes were bright with determination, his expression fierce. “I’ll never let you go…”_

“Why do you care so much…about me?”

For a minute, there was only silence between the two of them. Kid sat, staring out the window at the silver moon. Finally, he gave a weak laugh. “What do you mean?”

“Whether you were Kid himself or disguised as Shinichi, no matter what, you’ve always seemed to care about and rescue me.” She cleared her throat. “Like earlier today, after the explosion. You saved me from falling to my death, and even said that you’d never let me go.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So why? Is it really just because you don’t like seeing people die or get hurt at your heists?”

“Why…?” He turned and faced her slowly. Ran felt her eyes widen upon noticing the slightest trace of tears in the corners of his eyes. His smile was so sad, so heartfelt.

“It’s because…” He slowly began to stand up, like a bird whose wings had just healed, or one who was recovering after a hard day.

“It’s because…you remind me of her…”

“…Her…?”

“The one…I love.”

Then there was only quiet.

And as Ran stood there, she felt her restlessness begin to slowly melt away. 

“The one…you love…?”

“Yes…”

Ran stood there, let only the quiet surround her.

“Does she know…about you being Kid?”

He gave a brittle laugh, sad, but sharp. And the look in his eyes was one she’d seen, one she’d felt, a sad hope when she wondered if Shinichi was ever going to return.

“No.”

“Well then what’s to worry about? Why do you seem so—“

“Sad? Somber?” This time Kid’s gaze was the one staring straight at her. His voice suddenly became dangerously soft. “Quiet?”

“I guess…”

Ran’s attention turned to something in his hand, something she hadn’t noticed there before, something he was folding up and putting into his pocket.

_A photo?_

“It’s just…” He closed his eyes and leaned slowly against the wall. “Unlike the crowds who come to my heists, my family, you and your friends, or that little detective, she’s the one person I can’t appear in front of.”

Oh.

“If anything, I just don’t want to see…the hurt in her eyes if my identity were to be exposed to her. I, her childhood friend, and the one she hates whenever his alter ego is even brought up.”

Ran stared on intently, not breaking her gaze.

“Then why do you continue to steal? You talk about this like it’s something you’re required to do. Why continue if it’s something that is the bridge between you and her?”

Kid gently placed his hands in his pockets. “Hmm…how to put this…it’s not exactly like I’m being forced to or I’m required to. It’s more like…a mission.”

“A mission?”

“Yes, a mission.”

“At most heists you return the gem and say it’s not the one you’re looking for. So you’re searching for a certain gem on account of this ‘mission’ of yours?”

“Yes…in a way…”

“But if you’re just looking for a certain jewel, then wouldn’t it be more of a goal? If hypothetically you never found this gem, it would be alright, wouldn’t it? What’s so important about it that you continue to steal?”

He reached silently into his jacket pocket, pulling it back out, with what looked like a full deck of cards spread out in the palm of his hands. Every suit, every number, every face. Ran’s eyes widened.

“Think of it like this.” He let the cards fall to the ground, letting them float to the floor with elegance and grace. The spades, looking sharp as needles, the clubs a decorative pattern across the floor, the diamonds radiantly standing out amongst the dark.

She saw no hearts nor the joker.

“Goals and missions are two different things. Similar, yes, but not completely identical.” He turned around and slowly began to unlatch the window. “When people have goals, it is something they want to _try_ to do. And depending on what it is, it may leave the person with a feeling of great accomplishment. Missions are similar in that sense, but if it is left unfinished...” Ran stood there, watching. She wanted to say something, but didn’t.

She felt it would be wrong to interrupt him now.

“If it is…left unfinished…” His back was turned, but Ran watched as he raised a hand to his face to wipe something away.

And Ran had a feeling she knew what it was.

“If it’s left unfinished…” his voice was no more than a mere whisper. “Then things can’t move on or go back to how they were. At least in my case…” Ran heard something click and watched his wings spread to life.

“No…actually…” He retracted his hang glider, shook his head and turned back around. Now he stood up tall, his figure seemingly renewed in his usual formal and suave composure. But she could see it in his face. People said you could figure out how someone was feeling based on their eyes. And his gaze seemed to say it all.

“Tell me. You’ve run into many crime scenes before, right? What are some common motives for those criminals to have?”

“Common motives?” Ran scratched her head. “Well, from what I’ve seen, it’s usually some kind of case of vengeance or avenging a person, be it for themselves or someone else…” She found her voice trailing off as she came to the realization.

“Could it be…you became the thief to…avenge someone close to you?”

It was his silence that was her confirmation.

“So it’s a conflict of your morals then…between you doing the right thing and doing what you believe has to be done.”

“…” Kid reached up to wipe away a smudge of blood on his face still left from the earlier incident. “As much as I would love to go back to a normal life, I can’t. It’s like you said. If anything, it’s something I promised them when the phantom became my new identity. It’s not even like it’s an obligation…it’s something the police can’t do, the FBI can’t do, that no one can do. I know it has to be me. It’s…something only I can do. But there’s been many times when I just sit down and have wondered what would happen if I never found the gem I’m searching for. I’ve sat back and wondered…”

_“Is that all there is out there for me?”_

And then time seemed to stand still. Ran felt her heartbeats grow heavier and slower as his words sunk in.

Finally, he chuckled softly and turned back towards the window. “Sorry. To think that the infamous Kaito Kid is the one who is standing here talking about the problems of his life. I guess I’m feeling out of character today…”

Ran shook her head. “No, it’s alright.” She thought for a moment before speaking again. “You’ve saved me more than once before, so maybe I ought to return the favor.”

She marched up to him, grabbed his arm, and stared up at him just as he turned back around, startled. She kept her gaze steely and focused, staring directly into his shattered sapphire eyes.

“The girl that you love…you say I remind you of her, right?”

“Y-Yes. If anything...” Ran watched almost in a silent amusement as the phantom thief stumbled over his words, a faint crimson overtaking his cheeks. She tried to fight her urge to laugh a little.

“Alright.” Ran took a deep breath and clasped her hands together, trying to decide on her next words. Finally, she found her voice.

“I am also waiting for someone I love to return. And day by day I’ve waited for him to come back, wondering what he’s been doing and why he’s keeping me waiting.”

                “And all this time that I’ve been waiting, I’ve learned something.  And in your scenario, here’s what I’ll say.” Slowly, she let go of his arm and took a step back. She took one deep breath, then two.

                “If you two love one another…then I think things will be alright. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned…” Ran stared up at him, and gave him a small smile. “It’s that you never give up on one another, no matter what. No matter how large the distance between you two is. Even if you keep secrets from one another, you both need to stay strong, for the sake of the other. After all, what’s love without a few bumps in the road?”

                For a full minute, Kid didn’t say a word. He stood there, cape billowing gently in the breeze, his expression still. Ran waited, hoping she’d said the right thing. She’d said what she’d wanted to say, entrusted him with words that she always told herself.

                Then she blinked and noticed Kid with the same picture from earlier back in his hand. She blinked again to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, watching as he stared down at the memory. She stood on watching as slow, silent tears traced their way down his cheeks.

                “Never give up…on one another…” his voice was soft, barely a whisper. He gently reached up and brushed the tears away.

 She watched his somber expression in the soft beams of the moon’s radiance, his white suit wrapped in shadows.

                Then for a second he turned to glance out the window and his fingers accidentally let the picture fall to the ground. Ran instinctively bent to pick it up.

                She didn’t mean to or want to stare at the picture—in case if it was something personal of Kid’s—as she grasped it her palm, but she found her eyes drawn to the subjects of it, Kid and presumably the girl he loved.

                Kid himself, in his traditional white costume, holding the girl bridal-style in his arms, who was wearing what looked like a wedding dress. At first Ran was confused, wondering _wait, did he or did he not reveal his identity to her_ , but then she noticed the snowy hills in the background, a perfect royal blue sky, and the other kids surrounding them wearing warm jackets and holding ski poles. Some others in the background wore a variety of costumes.

                _A costume…skiing contest?_

Then after looking again, she saw why Kid related her so closely to the girl he loved.

                Both Ran and the girl in the picture looked almost exactly identical to each other, bearing just a slight difference in their hair styles.

                She stared at it again and then saw one last thing. She finally saw why Kid couldn’t show his true identity to his childhood friend—the look between the two of them in the picture…Ran could see the bond between them. It was a love that couldn’t be broken, the bond that could never be severed. The look they shared with one another was one of warmth, home, love.

                And it was the phantom thief’s worry that his identity would be the thing to shatter that unbreakable bond.

                She let out a soft gasp as the photo drifted out of her hands. Her eyes followed as she watched it float through midair back to the phantom thief. In the hint of the starlight she could see the faint outline of string attached to the picture, which was steadily being drawn towards him.

                “I-I’m sorry…” Ran bowed her head quickly. “I didn’t mean to—“

                He held up a hand. “No, it’s alright.” He stared at it one more time before he folded it back up and put it into an interior jacket pocket.

                “I guess if anything, I feel like I need to say thank you.”

                “N-No, there’s no need…” Ran said. “I just—“

                “Please, just let me say it.” Kid quickly jumped back to the ground from the windowsill. He stared straight at her, gaze locked. Here they were, on equal levels with one another. Ran had always known Kid to be the high and mighty phantom thief, ready to reveal his stunning tricks to the audience, ready to show off perched from on top his high horse. He’d been the moon, high above everyone else, shining brilliantly, while everyone else watched from the ground.

                And even if it was for a minute, he’d stepped off his pedestal to face her and speak.

                “…” Kid had his eyes closed, tears forming in the corners.

                “Thank you…” he whispered, slowly opening his eyes.

                “Thank you…”

                It was all that he could think to say, all that would express how grateful he felt for her words of wisdom, and for filling him with something he had not felt in a long time.

                Ran went to say something, then stopped. She had tried to think of the right thing to say, then saw all that was needed.

                So she simply nodded and gave him a smile.

                He returned it, a smile sad but filled with a hint of something else.

                Hope.

                They continued to stare at one another, the only sound the breeze, the only light being that of the moon.

                “…-neechan!” came a voice from another room. Conan.

                “Ran-neechan! Where are you?”

                “C-Conan-kun?” Ran whipped her head around, searching for the origin of his voice.

                “I guess that’s my cue to go…” Ran turned back around, Kid facing her, his expression back to his normal confident smile. She watched as he reached over to fully open up the window, letting a stronger breeze in. He reached to his belt, pushing a button, reopening his hang glider. He prepped himself to jump, until he stood back up and turned back around to face her.

                “One last thing.”

                Ran waited.

                “One last thank you...For saving me the other night.” His hand instinctively went to his injured arm. “If you and your friends hadn’t come when you did, I probably would’ve died. So thank you for saving me.”

                “It’s thanks to you and your friends that I can return to her.”

                “Yes, of course.”

                He smiled. “Well then…”

As he turned back to the window, he turned his head, giving her the signature tip of his top hat.

“Let’s meet again, under the shining silver moon.”

With that he leaped, the breeze carrying him along as he gracefully flew towards another shining building in the distance. Ran watched and listened as people waiting for the light show gasped and called Kid’s name from the ground, shouting and cheering.

She heard the pattering sound of footsteps and turned around to find Conan and Sonoko and Makoto there running up to her.

“Ran-neechan, where’ve you been? We thought you’d be coming down soon, but you’ve been up here for quite a while now.”

Ran scratched her head. “Sorry, I guess I lost track of time.”

“What were you doing anyway?” Sonoko said. “Have you really just been staring out the window this whole time?”

“N-Not exactly…” She turned back around, quickly looking for Kid’s white wings somewhere in the dark midnight, but did not find them.

“Huh? Then what _were_ you doing?” Sonoko clapped a hand onto Ran’s shoulder. She began to lead her away, pestering her with questions. However, Ran didn’t hear a lot of them.

She thought about Kid, and remembered the pain on his face when she’d been talking with him. Then she thought about the genuine smile he’d given her before he’d vanished into the shadows.

_“Let’s meet again, under the shining silver moon.”_

And Ran had a feeling they would. She wondered when that would be.

Because she had a feeling that the next they met, his mission would be complete.

She had a feeling that the distance between him and the one he loved would finally be mended.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a fic I finished a couple of months ago. I feel really proud of it, I just hope I didn't make some parts too cliche. Hope you all liked it!  
> (Please note that this is unedited, I apologize if there are mistakes!)


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